When you you reach a certain age, like I have (let’s say middle age and maybe even a little more, for the purposes of these notes), you realize that you have some pretty entrenched views: for example, ladies are the gentler and fairer sex and have an affinity with jewelry such as heart earrings and diamond necklaces, while men are rougher and often less refined and regard the wearing of jewelry as somewhat effeminate. But you also realize that other younger people, and maybe the fringe element of people your own age, have some very different views and these can take you by surprise.
Which brings me on to the question I want to pose: have you noticed the increasing trend of men, especially celebrities and NFL and basketball players, having both ears pierced and wearing matching diamond stud earrings? Is this the start of a trend that will spread? Maybe history can give us a clue – because while the idea of pierced ears for both men and women goes back centuries, there was a time when the practice for men went out of style. With it’s resurgence, and the fact that men are now wearing a style that one would usually think of as more for women, does it follow that they too will begin to choose other more traditionally feminine designs such as a heart earring?
As far back as early civilization both men and women have been adorning themselves with jewelry including earrings. The ancient Egyptians were very accomplished jewelry makers and not only was the wearing of it a sign of wealth and status, it was important in ensuring a safe and trouble free journey to the afterlife. When the tombs in the Valley of the Kings in Egypt were discovered, such as that of Tutankhamen, the range of different pieces of jewelry found was quite staggering – there were bracelets, amulets, rings, necklaces, earrings, head bands, belts, anklets (and gold vests which were unique to the Egyptian culture).
In Old Testament biblical times there is a reference to the wearing of earrings by both of the sexes in Exodus chapter 32 verses 1-4. When the Israelites were in the wilderness and they were waiting for Moses to come down from the mountain they asked Aaron to make them an image of a god that they could follow. Aaron agreed to this and told them to bring him the gold earrings which were worn by the wives, sons and daughters.
Wearing earrings remained fashionable for both men and women until the Early Middle Ages but then the trend died out for a while. During the 1900s, sailors made the wearing of earrings by men popular again. One reason for the return of this trend was they believed that if they were lost at sea, when their body washed ashore, whoever found it would take the earring and use it to pay for a proper burial for them. Having a pierced ear also signified that the sailor had crossed the equator or sailed round the world.
The modern trend of men having their ears pierced goes back to the hippie culture of the 1960s and 1970s. Lets be honest, this was a time of breaking away from conventionality and the perceived stuffiness of the older generation (my father was in the Royal Air Force, and my father in law was in the Royal Marines during World War Two and I somehow cannot imagine them wearing an earring!). During this time there was a debate as to which ear a man should have pierced depending on his sexual orientation; gay men should have their right ear done while heterosexual guys should choose the left. Nowadays, this no longer applies as having both ears pierced is becoming increasingly the norm and even if only one ear is pierced (whether left or right) it is does not signify a man’s sexual preferences.
Now that some men are becoming “metrosexual”, taking more pride in their looks and wardrobe, using products such as moisturizers and make up (things I know my parents would have thought “unmanly”) maybe jewelry designs for men will change as well. In an earlier post I suggested that men are still not seen wearing a heart chain, but maybe if one of the professional athletes or a male celebrities started wearing some heart jewelry then maybe we would see a heart earring, or heart chain selection in the men’s jewelry section in stores. So look our for heart bracelets, heart necklaces and heart charms to populate the men’s jewelry section and join up with the heart earring offerings as well.
